THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE YOU PLAN A SECOND BABY

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE YOU PLAN A SECOND BABY

Been there done that, would you take the plunge again. Becoming a parent is a very big responsibility and most couples are in constant dilemma about having a second child.

Been there done that, would you take the plunge again. Becoming a parent is a very big responsibility and most couples are in constant dilemma about having a second child. It is a very important decision and couples must always agree with each other, making it a mutual decision.

You already have one child, so you understand the responsibility it comes with it and not forgetting the sleepless nights, teething issues, colic and so on plus loads of smiles, love,laughter that it brings along. However, if you do decide to have another child, keep in mind both your kids will demand your full attention and double the amount of effort in everything you do. Depending upon the age difference between each child, at times if there is age gap between siblings; it could prove to be helpful and younger one would always look up to their elder sibling. But at times it would get very difficult to handle both the children at once. So if help is available in the form grandparents, then nothing like it because it will be good for a child’s mental and emotional development. Also one can opt for domestic assistance and can seek help from an agency.

Finances

The other most important aspect is money. Are you in a position to provide the best of living to both your kids and also will you be able to support their higher education. It is obvious that you would never differentiate between the two but do sit with your spouse take a decision only after considering your current expenses and savings. It has to be a mutual decision.

First Child

Make sure your first child is ready for this and if there is an age gap it would be much better. Ideal age gap would be between 3 to 4 years. Constantly talk with your first born to make them feel secure. Also if you are living with your in-laws make sure they spend a lot of time with your first born, because after you had your second child it is only logical even if you try really hard you would be able to give as much time as you did earlier. The husband in this situation has to chip in with regards to time spend with your first born because if you make them feel secure and comfortable life will be that much easier.

Father/Husband

Agreed upon the fact that mother is the one who goes through all the hardships during pregnancy but husbands do play an important part as well. A lot of things that you have been taking care of for a while now your husband would have to step in to take those responsibility. Simply if you have been doing all the grocery shopping pass on this responsibility to your husband now. If your husband has some long business trip planned or is too occupied with some project at work, let him get over with it. He cannot let go his work commitments and you for sure would need him to be there all along.

Family

One thing that never stops in Indian society is constant nagging from within the family first to get married, than have baby and then a second baby as they say to complete the family. You may agree or not but if you have a daughter there would be constant pressure to plan a second baby in hope for a baby boy. But don’t ever get disturbed by such talks. Boy or a girl doesn’t make a difference there are a lot of other points that you need to consider before planning. Plan only when you think you are prepared for another bundle of joy to come into your life.

Would be Mother

Visit a genealogist, go for some routine checkups. If required take the prescribed medication. You need to be in the best of your health as that really affects the baby. The doctor may prescribe a few multi vitamin and some other medicines as per your health report. Always make sure your husband accompanies you when you go for a checkup.

Children are the gift of god. If you really think you are ready for it and really looking forward to an addition to your family, take the plunge. It has always been and always will be a life changing experience.

Do you have a strange itch down there, problem with your sex life, what do you do? Visit a doctor? Naa. Knew it. The percentage of people visiting a sexpert is very less. They opt for some tried and tested methods. They never ever talk about this within friends. And would visit a doctor only and only if things have gone beyond their control and it has become a dire necessity to visit a sexpert.

One point that I missed out on mentioning here is ‘Google It’. Online sexpert queries are increasing and google search for any sex related personal queries is quite common. My question today is, does bringing up your queries with an online Sexpert really help?

Firstly this is the most easy and approachable method. You don’t have to be face to face with your doctor and go through what most of you think as embarrassing conversation. For once that is not a bad idea at all. There are lot of online groups, websites and health portals which can provide you with a lot of valuable information about your health problems. Most of the online portals have very renowed and experienced doctors on there panel who can guide you the right way. And when it comes to sex, it is not only about issues and problems, most of the queries are out of curiosity. Where they come up with general queries like how to best satisfy your partner, erection issues, pregnancy related queries and so on.

To give you an idea, this is one query that I came across on some health portal which was from a 16 year old girl, where she says “I am a 16 year old girl, in relationship with a 20 year old guy. My boy friend insists on having a physical relationship. Can you tell me the safest way to avoid pregnancy?”

Now this is pretty generic query. And obviously it would be very difficult for a 16 year old to visit a doctor for such kind of advice and she finds the online sexpert a big help and would get the best suggestion possible.

Now generic is the word I would like to focus on. Actually online sexpert are of great help but mostly in case of generic queries. Anything that is very person specific, the online sexpert would not be able to help out much and can only suggest you to consult a doctor. Look at a query like this “ I am a 55 year old man with diabetes and have lost the urge for sex. Please suggest some medicine to help me regain my interest in sex”. This is what the sexpert suggested “Diabetes might not be the reason behind your lost sex urge. You need to consult a doctor and go through a complete checkup and counseling session to determine the exact reason also if required doctor would suggest the medicine only after looking at your health.” Now in this case it is very obvious that, looking at the person’s age and health background it would have been very difficult for the online sexpert to suggest anything and complete physical examination was what the online sexpert suggested. Another query was “ My wife just delivered a baby, how long can we wait before we start with a normal sex life” Now here the doctor gave a few suggestions but in the end advised them to see a gynecologist for best result.

Online sexpert are of great help but only for reference purpose. As a few doctors state that a lot of their patients who approach them with there sex issues, had already consulted an online sexpert before approaching them and had considerable amount of knowledge about their problem from them. But because they could not get a convincing answer they decided to visit a doctor.

So, next time you have any sex queries you know that an online sexpert is a good option but do consult a doctor if required.

The one thing Bollywood cannot do with is scandal. The best way to seek publicity is to create a scandal by yourself. No other method is more powerful then leaked MMS clips. How can one be so stupid to get themselves filmed in a compromising position and then deny the hole thing.

Here are top 5 MMS scandals to hit Bollywood

Kareena Kapoor and Shaeed Kapoor:

This starlet was caught quenching the thrust of her then boy friend Shaheed Kapoor. It was very difficult to differentiate one tongue from the other.

Riya Sen and Ashmit Patel

The only realistic performance ever given by these two actors and know it did not do any wonders for there carrier.

Mona Singh

TV sweetheart Mona Singh made famous for Jassi Jasie Koi Nahi was embroiled in her own scandal. Well after viewing the clip one can only say Mona tu nay Kapday ku nahi pehana.

Preity Zinta:

If this MMS is true then it is most unfortunate because this actor has never done anything to bring disrepute to her name and she is one hell of an actor.

Katrina Kaif’s Sister Isabelle

Well this MMS created a fire storm. Katrina Kaif’s Sister Isabelle was supposed to be launched into Bollywood, but the MMS doing the rounds of her getting very cozy with a guy put a stop on her Bollywood aspiration for the time being.

Idea Iran has a huge reserve of natural gas and India equally has a very huge need for this natural gas to grease its economy. The Indo American Nuclear deal which was signed in 2010 was and still is in our best interest, but if we manage to reach an equitable deal with Iran and Pakistan will be country through which the gas pipe line will be laid and it would prove very beneficial to all the three countries. This deal could forge a deep and strong foundation to bring stability to this region and quench the energy need for India and also more importantly Pakistan a country which is going through a hard time due to home grown Sectarian violence.

This idea of a pipe line is not an old idea because after the end of Second World War, many countries received their independence after being ruled for a long time by western powers or under the political influence of the west. But with independence came a new responsibility of rebuilding a nation. India became the 7th largest country on earth overnight with a population of over 300 million in 1947. But if we look at this figure now it is nothing because we are now the second largest population in the world and soon in the next 25 years will in a position to overtake China. Pakistan is also not far behind when it comes to population growth; it is now the 6th largest population in the world and nearing the mark of 200 million. In the list of top 10 most populated countries in the world India has borders with three of them China, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This can be used to our advantage as we have a very young demographic or this could lead to chaos of biblical proportions.

Natural gas under the current circumstance is the answer to a lot of problems faced by India and Pakistan due to our growing need. With the advent of Narendra Modi who was giving strong signals of economic recovery during election time is now in a position to give it a green signal by setting up a committee to explore this idea and make it into a reality. The truth is time is running out because of a resurgent Russia and a very assertive China and both these countries want to be the controlling figure of Asian subcontinent. Russia and china already have signed a agreement of gas supply for over 450 billion dollars which would give Russia a massive boost to its economy and will certainly create more jobs both in Russia and china. Also since natural gas is a better alternative then burning coal, it would give China to cut down on pollution.

Location

If we would see the map, Iran has always been considered historically a strategic location because of its proximity to Europe and Asia. It was through Iran Alexander the great came to India. And even during Second World War, Iran became a focal point of concern for Britain and erstwhile Soviet Union. In today’s geo politics the role of Iran is even more important. Iran has the second largest gas reserve in the world which is almost 16% of world reserve after Russia according to the Iran Petroleum Ministry and when it comes to crude oil Iran has the third largest reserve in the world. But the fact is there are more areas which still have a lot of potential for the discovery of Oil and Gas in the region of Caspian Sea, North East, Central Kavir and especially in areas like Aghar and Dalan gas fields in Fars province up to the Strait of Hormuz and Central Persian Gulf also have potential for undiscovered natural gas. With some much means of energy available and also so near our b order, it is only practical for India to fully explore and formulate a comprehensive strategy for our benefit and future growth.

With strong political will and the desire to do business with the west Iran can easily attract European companies to build pipe line. Iran shares a border with Turkey and a pipe line could be easily set up there and supply could resume to Europe via Black see or through the Caspian sea to Kazakhstan from were gas could be supplied to even China, since the relationship between Kazakhstan and Russia is very close minus the relationship it shares with America and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) its ongoing relationship in Individual Partnership Action Plans to which many of its Neighbors are also signatories back in 2002. But things have changed over the years because Russia under Vladimir Putin has emerged stronger economically and since Russia is the dominant force in that region it would be practical to develop stronger ties. Kazakhstan is also signatories to the The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Though Kazakhstan is still doing a balancing act with NATO and America it is very clear it now wants to play ball with Russia because they are selling their oil and gas to Russia at abnormally low rates.

History

For many decades the erstwhile Soviet Union the present Russia have supported Iran in its nuclear ambitions and also overlooked its nuclear proliferation through which some of the technology was achieved. Now to the west this is would be the downing of the apocalypse since after 9/11 Iran was designated as an axis of evil by President George W Bush. But one cannot compare Iran with North Korea and Iraq. Let us not forget it was the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with support from British Secret Intelligence service (SIS) or more commonly MI6 over through the democratically elected government of Mohammad Mosaddegh in August 1953 because this moderate and educated leader of Iran wanted to Nationalize the oil business which send alarm bell ringing in the corridors of Washington and London. So what do the pro democracy government of west do, they manufacture a coup d’etat to and install the King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi with full powers. And after just over 25 years the Iranian revolution changed everything. The American fear and more importantly its selfishness managed to create a divide between Iran and the west. Even after this incident America has still not learned from its mistakes because it still keeps prodding into other countries business.

Iran is a vibrant society with a great past and India traditionally and culturally has very good relations, after all India is the home to the second largest population in the world for Shia Muslims. But the question in everybody’s mind is, is the Iran, Pakistan and India gas pipeline could one day be a reality because the oil coming from Middle East would soon deplete then what alternative India would have. Right now we are already the number one customers of Iran when it comes to crude oil which is a matter of great discomfort to America due to sections imposed by them. But these sections are counterproductive because the Iranians have something which the west wants and if they keep alienating and antagonizing them it they would lose in the end and India should not be caught in a situation where we find ourselves not in favor with the Iranians.

Impediments

Yes the geo politics of this region is very complicated and goes back over 1500 years with divide between Shia and Sunnis so deep they have no love lost between them. This is a divide which the west has always used in this region for their benefit and with Iran developing missiles which can carry a serious payload to hit targets deep into Western Europe and Israel; it would do anything to stop it. The west the Sunnis dominated oil rich states and Israel is certainly against this pipeline and Pakistan has even received and promised more incentive if they drop this whole Idea and since Pakistan which basically relies on American money for its daily upkeep would follow suit and let us also not forget the ongoing operations in Afghanistan due to which the Pak government receives considerable aid. But this is short term gain, in the long run Pakistan which is a predominantly Sunni dominated country with closer ties to Saudi Arabia would have lot to lose because once the oil from the Saudis would stop as lot of analyst have already done comprehensive studies that, not much oil is left in the middle east, its religious dogma of considering Shia Muslims as apostates would have to be superseded by political and economic necessity.

Also China then would have the upper hand in this energy game and both India and Pakistan will be in a very vulnerable state since both countries have to cater to the demands of a very large population and any failure would be catastrophic for both nations and could plunge both our nations into a state of civil war and the riches would be divided by others.

Challenges

It is quite ironic that Saudi Arabia would allow Israel to use its air space to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities because it is clear that their hatred runs very deep and they would allow Israel a country that they still do not acknowledge and still provide support to various terror organisation to cause harm to Jews. The old saying of “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” truly applies here but the only problem is once Iran’s nuclear facilities are destroyed along with its infrastructure do the Arabs, Americans and Israelis think that Iran would take all this punishment sitting down or Israel thinks that if they are successful in meeting all their objectives, all the Arab Sunni dominated nation will finally give diplomatic recognition that it deserves. One can only wonder. If tomorrow Iran decides to go with Russia and China for oil and gas pipeline it is not beyond the realm of Possibility America with NATO. Israel and Saudi Arabia will attack by concocting some story of regional security.

Given that under current circumstances which Pakistan is facing the possibility of this pipeline coming to life is not possible because there is a tremendous amount of mistrust among both nations. The targeted killings of Shia Muslims in Pakistan are also not doing any favor to this situation. China and Russia are carving the entire Asian continent and unless Iran and especially Pakistan develop the ability to look beyond Western Hypocrisy and unbridled Chinese and Russian hegemony over Asia, our future is not very promising.

Solution

All three nations have to look beyond the present political climate and start making important and at times unpopular decisions for future security which would primarily be for Iran and Pakistan. Yes, if this pipeline idea is discussed and never mind if it becomes a reality, it will affect or terminate the India America civilian nuclear deal but natural gas is a safer bet against nuclear power and the problems associated with it. Not that nuclear power is bad or unsafe, India should make it clear to America that it has more to lose if it backs away from this deal because India is a not a political, economical or a military threat to the U.S or the European Union, unlike Russia and China. India should support Iran’s right to peruse peaceful development of nuclear power for its growing domestic need with proper safeguard mechanism and with regular inspection from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the west to follow suit. If this pipeline becomes a reality India and Pakistan can move forward economically and have greater political influence in this region. With clean energy coming to India and Pakistan via this pipeline more jobs can be created which all the three counties desperately needs.

Why and How

Right now, this very moment strategic analyst and generally people all over the world must be scratching their head, as to why America will not hesitate to get any help from Iran to jointly stop Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) a Sunni militant group, who at present are on the verge of taking over Iraq. Iran is the country which not long ago was designated as a terror state by President Barrack Obama’s predecessor George W Bush who famously called Iran one of the” axes of evil”. A Triumvirate of evil countries of Iraq, Iran and North Korea. So how this diametric change were America and Iran Joining hands to tackle ISIS which is an idea that was remotely impossible to conceive even few weeks back. What must be the reasoning behind it must be beyond a lot of people in the Middle East and in America.

But in reality it is quite simple because America’s refusal to arm the Sunni Muslim fighters in Syria was based on the assessment it will be used against them in future because of past experiences in Afghanistan. So in hindsight it was the right decision and America would not like or want to send large numbers of troops into Iraq but only as advisors and special forces operations.

This idea of seeking support from Iran will not be well received by the Saudis, but it is possible this decision was taken because Iraq is governed by Shia and America wanted to maintain balance. But the idea to take support from Iran to stop ISIS must have driven Wahhabi Arabs mad, because now America will be joining forces with Iran a Shia dominant country who are a minority in Islam and the Sunni dominated counties of Arab land would now have to comply with this idea.

But this idea is the right way forward in overall frame of things because Iran has a strong army, well trained in handling these types of conflicts and logistically prudent because Iraq under ISIS will witness mass killings of non Sunnis. How the whole deal would function will have to be worked out between America and Iran because if Iran plays its part many sanctions will be immediately revoked by U.S and European Union in coming months. Now, Europe will support the United States to stop ISIS, but what reactions will be coming out of Israel and Saudi Arabia is also worth considering.

Israel and Saudi Arabia

Israel is America’s strongest ally in the Middle East and has been strategic partners since 1948 when the state of Israel was formed under the leadership of David Ben Gurian. On the other hand Saudi Arabia is America’s biggest partner from Islamic countries and main supplier of oil. The very thought of America seeking help from Iran is repugnant to Israel and Saudi Arabia and given the opportunity Israel will not squander a chance to destroy Iran’s Nuclear facilities, which would make Saudi Arabia very happy because the very thought of Iran Possessing Nuclear Weapons is an aberration which would give Iran the strategic advantage in the Persian Gulf is something both countries would not want.

But the fact is Israel lives in a very tricky neighborhood surrounded by countries given a single opportunity would not hesitate to destroy it. And Saudi Arabia is fast becoming very unpopular country in the Middle East because of the decadence of the royal family with depleting oil reserve. So in the overall interests of Israel and Saudi Arabia a stable Iran is not the right way forward politically, militarily and economically.

It is ironic that Saudi Arabia would allow Israeli Air Force to use its air space to attack Iran because of religious differences and if Israel thinks that by destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities it will make them more secure than they are in for a surprise. Once Iran’s nuclear capabilities are gone would the Saudis who still do not recognize the state of Israel would give them diplomatic recognition? No because frankly the moment the Star of David is unfurled in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi royal family should start packing because their days will be numbered.

For Israel this could prove advantageous, since America if they choose to seek help from Iran would certainly attach few riders.

Easing sanctions and in return Iran must halt their nuclear programme.

Allow international inspectors which would nullify air strikes.

Iran would have to drop the idea of the destruction of Israel.

Iran should ask Hezbollah to stop attacking Israeli settlement and make peace which would isolate Hamas.

However these above points seems farfetched, but the fact is even if Iran’s nuclear facilities are neutralized Israel would not be safe because if ISIS takes control of Iraq and Syria they will not negotiate with Israel, they would go for total destruction of Israel and the money will come from the pious sheikhs of Saudi Arabia because the Saudis still hates Israel.

For Saudi Arabia and its decadent rulers they do not want ISIS taking control of Iraq and Syria either because though ISIS is a Sunni terror group, they consider the rulers of Saudi Arabia heretics for allowing U.S troops in holy Muslim land which is blasphemy. To them the Saudis are far worst then the infidels and if history has taught us anything, radicals have always been harsher with their own people for not following their way. For ISIS there is no such thing as liberal Muslim because any Muslim who shows compassion to an infidel is an infidel.

Iraq and ISIS

But coming back to the main issue of ISIS taking over Iraq a country which right now is being governed by a Shia majority under the leadership of a Shia Prime Minster Nuri Al Malaki who holds key portfolios of the government have done a very poor job in maintaining peace by overlooking atrocities committed towards their minority Sunni. He has allowed the cycle of mistrust continue and is heavily influenced by Iran and this has given rise and support of ISIS along with the escalating crisis in Syria where ISIS have gained lot of experience and have now managed a foothold in Iraq and Syria.

ISIS promises to provide security for Sunnis in Iraq and the common Sunni they would have no choice but run to them, but the cost will be high. They will impose the strictest form of Islam which most Muslims disagree and do not want, but in these situation“the choice of safety will always overpower the cost of freedom” and in the words of Edmond Burke “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” The average Iraqi is a descent and kind human being with good conscience but sadly is faced with insurmountable odds and few choices, so just as the Taliban was welcomed in Afghanistan the ISIS will be welcomed by the persecuted Sunni minority.

Syria

Iraq with minority Sunni always dominated the majority Shia and other sects for a long time and committed horrible crimes against them under Saddam Hussein. It is ironic because throughout History often the minority dictated terms with Majority and in Syria it is the same. The people in power are the minority Alawite religious group, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam which consists of around 12 percent of the total Syrian population which controls the majority Sunni.

The current crises faced by Syria are a direct manifestation of festering problems due to years of oppressive and heavy handed rule by the Assad Family. The Syrian government supported by Shia Iran has always dealt with the majority of the population with impunity which is why there are in the middle of a very bloody civil war which is going to get even messier.

U.S Domestic Politics

It is very clear that after suffering huge losses of lives of the Americans solders in Iraq which is estimated over 4500, the U.S president is in no mood to put boots on the ground. It would be a logistical nightmare for the U.S Military, although they are capable of conducting such operation, but back in 2003 the entire offensive was planned well in advance and the U.S military was fighting regular Iraqi Army, not unconventional street fighters highly experienced in urban guerrilla warfare.

Apart from that they would have to bear in mind three things, Cost, Casualty and the most important thing “Politics”. Never mind trying to generate support from the American public which wants nothing to do with this war anymore, but the serious implication of not interfering is also very high. Senior U.S politicians from the Republican Party will see it as a sign of weakness of the Democratic Party president for not going soon enough and the idea to join forces with Iran will not go very well with the Christian right wing. This is a classic case of catch 22 for this American administration.

Even if America decided to Bomb ISIS targets and its moments, there will be a huge risk for causing civilian deaths and it would be difficult to label it as collateral damage. To order air strike some boots will have to be on the ground for logistical support and with ISIS are surprisingly well armed and more importantly fighting like an army can cause lot of anxiety to the troops on the ground of possible kidnapping because America will not call ISIS an army and any ISIS fighter caught will be treated as terrorist i.e. enemy combatant. But the very idea of U.S soldier being taken as prisoner by ISIS will send shiver down the spine of America, because the level of ruthlessness they show is clear indication how the prisoner will be treated and it use as propaganda video which will not go well with the American Public.

Iraq

In all this madness the most important thing everyone will forget are the people of Iraq because right now Iraq is in ruins, and is divided into three spears of influence. The Majority Shia, the Minority Sunni and probably the most persecuted ethnic group in Iraq the Kurds who under Saddam Hussein had suffered terribly. Ten’s and thousands were gassed by their own regime, the highest number of people dying due to the usage of poison gas after 1st world war. The Kurds will not like to see being dominated by these Sunni zealots because then that will be their end. The Shia’s will not tolerate the Sunnis to take control of Iraq or Syria which has many strategic value for Iran and Russia who at this moment are simply enjoying this turkey shoot.

So where does this leave Iraq

Is Balkanizing Iraq into three different countries the right way forward?

If we go with this option and cut Iraq into three pieces, it may solve the problem Sectarian violence, but the shia dominated part will eventually go to Iran. The Kurds will get northern part of Iraq and they already control the oil rich province of Kirkuk. Does that mean the areas with long border with Iran are controlled by Shia’s and the border with Saudi Arabia to be handed over to Sunnis? The bifurcation of Iraq based on sectarian and ethnic choices will prove to be a geographical nightmare. Because each side would want the best piece of this real estate. Also every other major city has some religious significance for both Shia’s and Sunnis and how that will be taken care of is anybody’s guess. Also the Sunni ISIS will not hesitate to destroy religious sites and relics which are sacred to shia’s because their brand of Islam is harsher than any other school of thoughts and Iran has made it clear it will not tolerate any harm to any of its holy sites.

Then there is the matter of Christians and Yazidi who are indigenous minorities who have been subject to violence from the Sunnis. What happens to them because no matter how Iraq is divided, it may be possible the Shia’s and Kurds may reach an equitable decision but the hard-line Sunni ISIS will not compromise. Any way if an agreement is reached, how in the world would America and Europe would deal with the massive influx of refugees, because we are talking about Millions of people and probably no guarantee for safety for the minority. Other problems are by creating a country for Kurds the Turkish government will face a lot of problems from within due to a long history of animosity between them.

History of interference and future course

This region has been interfered and prodded by the west since 1st world war with France and Britain with all its wisdom first divided Iraq and Syria and after them America joined to exert its influence in Middle East. First America destabilized a democratic Iran in 1953 and then supported Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war by looking the other way when he used chemical weapon, something a lot of Iranians have still not forgotten.

The west for a very long time have interfered in the Middle East politics for their own interest and fears by dividing Iraq and Syria without thinking of the repercussions and this has come back to haunt them now because ISIS wants a united Iraq and Syria and they will not stop. In the words of colonel James Doolittle goes “victory belongs to those who believe the most and more importantly believe in it the longest”. ISIS would either succeed or die trying.

Hilary Clinton is perhaps the most famous and most influential woman of our time, barring Opera Winfrey. She has been in politics since the 1970s when former president Richard Nixon was investigated for ordering the breaking and entering into the office of Democratic National Committee. Acting as one of the Congressional legal counsel during the investigation. Later she spent a long time as the first lady for the state of Arkansas where her husband Bill Clinton was the Governor for over twelve years. Then eight long years as the first lady of United States which was perhaps the tumultuous period of her life. But one has to concede to her determination and her perseverance which has allowed her to stay the course to her long and often troubled road to White House.

This woman is a lady but she is no lady, she is more than capable of fighting her own battles and has been responsible for being the first serious contender to the office of president right now and six years ago. When it comes to politics in America, if a politician is beaten on their quest for the highest office in the land, it is very difficult to put themselves back in the fray again. The amount of money one has to spend to win the party nomination is itself a significant fortune. Often candidates are in debt after an election campaign fails and never recover from it. Hilary Clinton lost to Barack Obama back in 2008 but the desire and the determination did not even take a dent but only made her more resolute.

Becoming the Secretary of State and in the new administration gave her the opportunity to travel far and wide and build more contacts and experience. Also she was in the middle of one of the most profound changes in the Middle East which created very serious diplomatic challenges for her and for the rest of the world with rising of the Arab Spring. Also she had to go through a lot of scrutiny for the Benghazi problem which she must surely know will be an obstacle on her quest, but the road is long and anything can happen, but the greatest obstacles she faces are more complex and the top three are.

1st obstacle “Vice President Joe Biden”

Also it is not very easy to get the democratic nomination when the sitting Vice President Joe Biden is also very much interested in running for the highest office. In American politics there have been many instances when the Vice President took over office, it was either the sitting president died of natural causes or was assassinated or had to resign.

Vice Presidents who became President due to death, resignation or assassinations were.

John Tyler, 1841 -- Presidential death

Millard Fillmore, 1850 -- Presidential death

Andrew Johnson, 1865 -- assassination

Chester Arthur, 1881 -- Presidential assassination

Theodore Roosevelt, 1901 -- Presidential assassination

Calvin Coolidge, 1923 -- Presidential death

Harry Truman, 1945 -- Presidential death

Lyndon Johnson, 1963 -- Presidential assassination

Gerald Ford, 1974 -- Presidential resignation

Also many times the sitting Vice Presidents have gone on to win party nomination and then became President of the United States of America. It would be very difficult for Hilary Clinton to convince the party and the current Vice President to step out of her way because the party usually supports the Vice President and would not allow internal squabbling which could potentially hurt them in 2016. The Republican Party suffered due to a long and protracted primary campaign during the last election to seek the Republican ticket for the office of the President and the effects are still being felt and one can again expect the same this time around.

Democrats would not want that, so the question is how either party will decide who gets nominated. If Hilary challenges the sitting Vice President which is not unheard of will create lot of problems for herself and Joe Biden. If Biden does not back away and why should he when he is so close to realizing his final political ambition will create a rift in the party as Hilary is very popular with woman voters, but Joe Biden also shares the same ideology as Hillary Clinton and agree on most issues from gay marriage to pro-choice and immigration reform to foreign policy.

So how can she differentiate herself form him? To make it an issue of a woman becoming President of the United States for the first time may be popular and maybe about time, but an argument can be made that the job should go to the most qualified and both of them are equally qualified with the Vice President claiming more experience and Hilary more popularity. But the road to White House is still a long journey and frankly the problems Hilary Clinton will face are going to be within the Democratic Party, not the Republican Party.

2nd obstacle “The Republican Party”

Would the Republican Party be a great challenge? Possibly, one can never tell what can happen during an election, especially for the Office of the President of the United States. The Republican Party will not spare any resource to discredit her and it has already started by questioning her health because though Benghazi was a huge political embarrassment for her, but she has enough tricks up her sleeve to overcome this setback because it was the house republicans who had cut a lot funding and since the Republican party has the habit of digging past, Hilary will not back away from doing some own digging of her own.

Is the Republican Party an obstacle? Yes, but Because the Republican Party is not united and has serious fractures from within due to the advent of the Tea Party and the Tea Party candidates have managed to cause serious damage to the establishment candidates, as made very clear in the resent primary elections were Republican Eric Cantor the House Majority Leader which is a powerful post, lost the primary to Dave Brat who is the received support from Tea Party. Republican Party which was responsible for the declaration of emancipation, which effectively ended slavery in America under Presidency Abraham Lincoln, is also known for its conservatism brand of politics, but that extended only towards big government and fiscal discipline.

How from a party which freed Millions of African Americans has denigrated to a situation, where it has least support from the very people it helped free which the Democrats opposed and even in the 1960s it was the Democratic party which dominated Southern states opposed equal civil rights. The extreme politics of Tea Party will fracture votes for the Republican Party. But this is merely a theory, the Republican party will come with all its force on Benghazi and go after her past which will be her husband former President Bill Clinton.

3rd Obstacle “Past and her only major political mistake”

Bill Clinton is still very popular among Americans and he is perhaps the best speaker in America. His charm and eloquence is unparallel which the Republican and Democrats will agree, but he is also a liability due to his past shenanigans which caused a lot of pain and humiliation to Hilary. Bill Clinton is a force of nature and master orator and also a liability.

And who can forget her for supporting the war on Iraq without thinking of the consequences and the political repercussions. Yes, she has now apologized for her decision, but it is too late and now the political environment in Iraq has also changed with the advent of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and the supposed co-operation between America and Iran by the current administration would be something the Republicans would like to take advantage of. She will be called inconsistent and a flip flopper of issues. The mistake of supporting the bill authorizing the invasion of Iraq and the late apology might not go in her favor.

But all things said, if Hilary Clinton does somehow manages to get the Democratic Party Ticket she will be a formidable force for the Republicans to stop because she is experienced, well spoken, and popular with majority of woman. Also she is well known all over the world and is a skilled diplomat. It would be very exciting to see who her Republican challenger will be but in the end it is very difficult to say if she will receive the Democratic Party ticket for 2016.

People mostly go to the movies to forget the daily trials and tribulation and the best way to beat the stress is to go and watch a comedy films and to the credit of Indian Cinema it has managed to produce some f the funniest films of our time. The films which will be listed are not ranked. These are just the best of what Bollywood offered us over the years. The films which are on the list are some of the most memorable movies with lots of fun and fond memories. Most movies selected to be part of this list were directed by either Hrishikesh Mukherjee or Basu Chatterjee and some other great Indian film directors. Many of the films mentioned in this list have been shamelessly remade.

1. Chameli Ki Shaadi

This film Directed by Basu Chatterjee is a rollercoaster of a comedy film with a star cast of Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh. The simple story line and some great comedic acting by Pankaj Kapoor, Bharati Achrekar, Amjad Khan and Annu Kapoor. But over all this film had a ensemble cast of actors who helped this movie remain one of the favorites.

2. Guddi

This film was made in the 1971 which dealt with fiction and reality of cinema. A young and impressionable girl Guddi played by Jaya Bhaduri who idolizes Dharmendra the movie star. What follows next is a series of events some arranged and some by chance.

3. Bawarchi

Another great comedy film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, starring Rajesh Khanna as the quintessential help at Shanti Niwas. How he manages to coerce his way into the lives of everyone in the Sharma Family is hilarious and the ending very sweet.

4. Padosan

This all time classic is the type of film which can be seen over and over. The comedy of Mehmood and Kishore Kumar is and will remain evergreen. The songs of this film were also great.

5. Kohinoor

Who said Dilip Kumar cannot do comedy film and the mirror scene between Dilip Kumar and Jeevan is a classic.

6. Khatta Meetha

Another classic from Basu Chatterjee about family and relationship and what happens when an aging Ashok Kumar marries the gentle Pearl Padamsee. A very funny film but also a movie with a message.

7. Andaz Apana Apana

Probably the best comedy film made in the last 20 years with lots of memorable and funny characters like Teja played by Paresh Rawal and Crime Master Gogo played by Shakti Kapoor.

8. Payr ke y jai

This remake of south Indian film was a very funny film. Who can forget the scene between Om Prakash and Mahamood when mahmhood describes a scary scene from his film. Probably the best comedic scene ever shot.

9. Munna Bhai MBBS

It is so refreshing to see a comedy film in recent times which is fresh and almost oreginal. The film by Rajkumar Hirani has become an all time classic and no one ever thought Sanjay Dutt could do such comedy with Arshad Warsi and Bomin Irani was simply the best.

10. Bhat Ban Jaaye

Again starring sanjeev kumar and the beautiful zeenat aman who thinks that all rich people are bad and that she will find true love with a poor man. This film has plenty of rib tickling comedy.

11. Khoobsurat

This film starred the vivacious Rekha in the lead. The scene where the character of rekha tries to find out the interest of all the family members is particularly hilarious.

12. Chashme Baddoor

This film which was made in the year 1981 by Sai Paranjpye is an all time classic with great performances by Deepti Naval, Farooq Shaikh and Saeed Jaffrey. One of the funniest scenes in the film is when the character Leela Misra with lot of difficulty climbs the stairs only to find scantily clad photos of woman.

13. Khatha

The movie was inspired by the children story of the race between hare and turtle. This film was again directed by Sai Paranjpye were she again managed to draw great performance by Deepti Naval Farooq Shaikh and Nasurudin Shaw.

14. Shokeen

Never before a film has captured the thinking of elderly men and how they want to enjoy their life. The performance of Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt and Hungal was of a legendary status. The scene were the character of Ashyaok Kumar being dragged into the sea and him shouting that he is not wearing any underwear were some of the highlights of this films.

15. Khosla ka Ghosla

A very simple film shot in Delhi with a zero star cast. Anupam Kher is a great actor but no one expected this film to do so well in the box office and now this film has a huge cult following. The acting combo of Ranveer Shorey and Vinay Pathak again deliver.

16. Kissi Se Na Kehna

Again the pair of Deepti Naval and Farooq Shaikh take the art of comedy to new heights with Utpal Dutt adding that extra spice. The scenes were Saeed Jaffrey drags Utplal Dutt to the Village to meet with the girl’s father is one for the time.

17. Angoor

This film inspired by William Shakespeare’s comedy of errors is again a Gulzar classic. Again Sanjeev Kumar playing double role gave some of the funniest scenes in this film.

18. Rang Birangi

Again a film by Hrishikesh Mukherjee which gave us the beloved and iconic character of Assistant Commissioner of Police Dhurandhar Bhatawdekar. A spoof on the movie Pati, Patni aur Woh which is also in this list. The scene were the character of Farooq Shaikh pretends to be detective is very funny

19. Pati Patni aur Woh

This is a B.R Chopra classic starring Sanjeev Kumar in role where he flirts with his young secretary by telling her that his wife is very sick and dying of cancer. The plot is so simple yet it manages to keep you on your feet.

20. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro

This iconic film was directed by Kundan Shah which had a stellar cast of some of the best actors Hindi cinema had ever seen consisting of Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur, Satish Shah, Satish Kaushik,Bhakti Barve and Neena Gupta. The Mahabharata scene is considered one of the funniest scenes ever.

21. Chupkay chupkay

Probably one the most funniest and successful of films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, again with a stellar cast of Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhadhuri, Sharmila Tagore and Om Prakesh. The film’s plot keeps the audience laughing from start finish.

22. Munna Bhai MBBS

This debut film by director Rajkumar Herani will be considered a classic in few years time. A big refreshing change from the usual slap stack Indian comedy which nowadays are filled with innuendo.

23. Three idiots

Again a brillent film by Rajkumar Hirani with amazing performances by Bomin Irani a very versatile actor of our time and Aamir Khan and special mention to Omi Vaidya.

24. Golmaal

Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s best comedy film hands down and this film as had several remakes over the years in Hindi and various other languages.

25. Mr and Mrs 55

This film was ahead of its time and no one will ever get bored watching this film. If anyone thought Guru Dutt could not do a comedy film they would be wrong. Johnny Walker’s best comedy film and this man has been an inspiration for so many aspiring comedians. Who can forget the famous song between Johnny Walker and his future wife Noor in the office? Madhubala simply look ravishing oozing sensuality. All in all a great cast and a great film which every film lover should watch.

It ended before it began

What happened in Brazil on 8th of July 2014 at Belo Horizonte was no less a tragedy of biblical proportion because Brazilian football did die that day when the “German blitzkrieg completely obliterated and overrun the host” (no Pun Intended) in the first half. The 7 - 1 loss was a shockwave which was felt all over the world and what repercussions the players and administrators are going to face is a foregone conclusion. But I am sure there will be blood figuratively speaking because never before the Brazilian fans would have experienced such pain. I am not taking any pleasure in writing this article for me; it is more like performing the last rites.

The loss was so bad that no amount of excuses could suffice the eventual outcome because Germany was always the favorite and throughout this world cup they have played a much disciplined game. On the other hand the Brazilians who played there opening games with full of flare and typical Latin American football always lacked an all-round approach and the defense was especially very vulnerable. They were lucky and barely survived against Chile which is a very good side and after that match all the pundits of the game made a clear prediction, if Brazil made it to the Semi Final and based upon who would be the eventual team which they would face in Semi Final which was predestine to be Germany, they would lose because the way the Germans are playing in this world cup, no team could stop them.

The loss

But no one in their dream would have ever visualized that Brazil will suffer such a humiliating loss. Yes they must have surely missed Neymar their premier striker and team Captain Thiago Silva who is their best defender, but then again there is no excuse for playing such bad football. It was as if watching a bunch of uncoordinated pre-teens who are still learning the basics of football. It was as if they just did not know where the Germans were placed in the field and just kept giving them opening after opening. Never before I have ever seen the Brazilian team so confused and have they played badly before, sure they have, but never like this. Imagine, even before the first half had ended the writing was on the wall and one could see the pain the utter disappointment and anguish on the faces of the home crowd.

But enough of Brazil’s football fortune because during this match Miroslav Klose, Germany’s long serving striker became the leading goal scorer of all time surpassing the Local Brazilian Hero and one of the best players the world had ever seen, Ronaldo who had scored 15 goals. But what is remarkable is the bench strength the Germans have barely used Lukas Podolski in this world cup, who is known for his ability to net goals, plus they have Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze and Andre Schurrle who have contributed to German victory in the 2014 world cup.

Closing gap

Also in this world cup we saw the gap filing between the giants of football and lesser teams like Costa Rica, Algeria and the United States (U.S) to name a few. Also it is good to see the popularity of this great game is ever so increasing U.S. If this world cup saw the vulnerability of Brazil, it also saw the rise of some very good future prospects like James Rodríguez who at present is still the highest goal scorer in this world cup. Also Clint Dempsey from the U.S and Ahmad Musa of Nigeria have made a name for themselves.

Football analyst and experts can sit all day and maybe for years to come and dissect the game but one thing is certain, Brazil is the team with most world cup victories but Germany is by far the most consistent team since 1950. Their game and the strategy to build a new side with new ideas which takes time and patience. In Brazil the football administrators and coaches have to take a good hard look and start rebuilding the side again because world football needs a team like Brazil. If measures are not taken and stronger bench strength is not available, who knows it may be even possible that Brazil may not even qualify for the next world cup finals.

There are two main models of governance that can be there in any democratic system. One is the parliamentary form of government where the head of the state is different and distinct from the head of the executive. The executive is headed by the Prime Minister while the President acts as the head of the state. However, in such a system the Prime Minister is the real head while the President acts only as a nominal head, not having any significant powers of decision making. As against this, in the Presidential form the President is both the head of the state as well as the executive. He is elected directly by the people and has a fixed term. The United States is one of the major countries of the world successfully practicing the Presidential form of governance. India, on the other hand has been advocating the Parliamentary form of government ever since the inception of its democracy.

However, politicians continue to debate the appropriateness of one form of governance over the other. While critics may feel that India would do well to shift to a presidential form of governance, it would be wise to analyze the merits and demerits of both the systems before arriving at any such conclusion. The main advantage said to be associated with the presidential form is that in it the President enjoys a wider range of powers and need not be dominated by the whims and fancies of the ruling government. He has the power to veto and is directly elected by the citizens of the country. Also, the President is appointed for a fixed term thus lending more stability to the government as opposed to a Prime Minister who can be removed at anytime through a ‘no-confidence’ motion passed against him by the majority of the Parliament. Though, the President can also be removed through impeachment proceedings against him, but evidently such proceedings are highly unusual and rare. Such instability in governance has been observed in several parliamentary democracies like Italy, Canada, France etc. Further, it is said that the Presidential form helps in quick and prompt decision making unlike the Parliamentary system where the Prime Minister is obliged to take into account the opinion of all the members of the house before taking any decision. In this regard, Professor Dicey has noted that the Parliamentary form of government fails to give effect to prompt and bold decisions at the time of emergency or crisis thus leading to delay in decision making. Also, in the Presidential structure there is a clear separation of powers between the legislature and the executive that is essential for the success of any democracy.

While the above mentioned aspects may make Parliamentarianism seem an unattractive and unviable system of governance, however it may not be correct to conclude so. The type of governance that a country chooses to follow also has a lot to do with its culture, background and demography. In a country like India, which is the largest democracy in the world in terms of its population and diversity, a Presidential system may not be well equipped to represent the varied interests of the different communities and cultures existing within our society. Rather, only a parliamentary structure where there are multiple parties and power is not concentrated in any single individual can be reflective of an efficient and representative democracy. Moreover, there are several advantages associated with a parliamentary system that are absent in the presidential form of governance. For instance, the Prime Minister can be removed at any point of time (through a ‘no-confidence’ motion) if he is not performing or meeting the expectations of the people. As opposed to this, in a Presidential system the President can be removed only at the end of his tenure or alternatively through impeachment proceedings which are very difficult to succeed. Further, the Prime Minister is always bound by the will of the majority party to which he belongs preventing any scope of a dictatorial rule by a single individual. The threat of a vote of no-confidence acts as an adequate check on the exercise of arbitrary powers by the Prime Minister. Also, since the Prime Minister is the representative of the majority party, he can take decisions quickly with the support of his party. The chances of domination by the opposition who do not form the majority in the house are bleak and remote. Further, the absence of a clear separation of powers between the legislature and the executive implies that they act in close cooperation and co-ordination leading to smooth functioning of the government. A parliamentary government is also more accountable to its citizens as the Prime Minister has to regularly give account of his decisions in the cabinet meetings.

Thus, clearly the Parliamentary form of governance offers a lot of advantages which one would be hard pressed to find in the Presidential system. Although, both the systems have their own merits and demerits, but evidence shows that most successful democracies around the world are proponents of the Parliamentary system. Needless to say, the type of governance to be followed is to be determined after taking into account the specific attributes of the country in question. What may be best for one country may not be so for another. Clearly, India’s ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural diversities do not allow us to opt for a presidential form of governance. As noted by the renowned scholar Ram Narayan Prasad “In India’s current political scenario a presidential form of government may easily degenerate into totalitarian/autocratic governance that must be avoided at all costs.”

Zotac has always striven toward making desktop PC’s smaller and smarter and has arrived with yet another paladin ZBox O1520 Sphere Plus. With innovation in continuum PC’s have become smaller and neater. The global market leaders of motherboards, graphics cards and mini-PC’s, Zotac have gone a mile ahead by creating a miniature PC, spherical in shape and alluring to the eyes.

Herculean power in a small package:

The ZBox O1520 Sphere Plus is way too powerful for its size and houses an Intel 4th Generation Core i5 4200U processor along with Intel HD 4400 Graphics. With the new Sphere Plus, Zotac is leading ahead of the convention box form factor and O1520 is the first gorgeous example. With the blue glowing LED strip along the circumference, that renders a demonic look, ZBox O1520 Sphere Plus resemble the Google Nexus Q amply but is certainly mightier. The behavior of LED strip can be customized to choose between conventional on-off with the machine, or pulse, follow or completely off using the system BIOS.

Flexibility in placement and multiple connectivity options:

Measuring just 154mm X 154mm X 161mm, ZBox bags enough space to conquer a 2.5-inch SATA Hard Drive or an SSD and two SO-DIMM DDR3L slots for making a blazing fast and uber-stylish PC that is small enough to hide within your TV booth due to its size and be the stylish Living room PC. Adding an mSATA SSD along with the internal drive can result in fiery boot sessions. Although plastic is the primary material of construction, ZBox has premium panache adhering to it. ZBox has an inbuilt 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip as well as Ethernet port that maximize connectivity options. Bluetooth 4.0 also allows making the most out of the Sphere Plus without being reliant on wires.

At the rear side we outputs for HDMI and DisplayPort, audio jacks for microphone and headset, a universal 4-in-1 card reader with support for SD, MMC, SDXC and SDHC cards. Apart from these the Sphere Plus also dons 4 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports and the power button.

Doesn’t play Modern Warfare, but plays 1080p videos sleekly:

Albeit, the Sphere Plus doesn’t come loaded with any operating system so you would have to buy either a copy of Windows, or install a free Linux OS. Zotac extends support up to Windows 8.1 and the drivers are provided along in a USB drive which is benign as it doesn’t sport a built in optical drive. Sadly the on-board graphics are not sufficient for 3D gaming, nor is there efficacy to add a high-performance one. But the ZBox plays full HD videos seamlessly, thanks to plentiful RAM.

Aesthetics:

Five well-placed rubber feet give ZBox Sphere Plus a profound stability and vents at the bottom and rear hear help the fan to propel most heat away. A quick twist unlocks the spherical cap to the interiors. ZBox O1520 Sphere Plus is acutely a robust device and can present amazing utility in areas of limited space or vital neatness.

Screens of the Future:

There were times in the past until smartphones donned the virtue of addiction,in that Lords and Ladies carried ferried newspapers rolled up and conserved in their coat pockets. The near future shall see rolled up digital screens that could be hoisted anywhere to cherish moments of bash. LG has recently come up with such a foldable and flexile 18-inch screen prototype.

Paper-thin and Portable:

The paper thin screen rolls up into a tube of 3 cm and boasts a resolution of 1200X800. The technology mammoth claimed this is a high molecular substance-based polyimide surface panel with gives it a distinguished ability to bend up to a curvature radius of 30 radians. This screen may marble the path for development ofmore than 50-inches screen in future, reportedly said the company. Perhaps the most enticing feature that this screen has is the ability to function even while being folded. This may be a future weapon for extension and plasticity of displays beside portability of personal entertainment devices.

Pioneering the Science of Flexible Virtual Entertainment:

The witchcraft behind this gizmo is the Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays deject use of any backlight as in case of a normal LED display which makes it possible to produce extremely thin and flexible displays, which we might witness flooding the market in various forms like plastics, metal foils and flexible glass. Recently both Samsung and LG have thrived development goals by successfully launching smartphones like the Galaxy Roundand LG G-Flex having curved as well as slightly bendable screens. However, LG recently fared better by producing a flexible LED TV that can change shape by nudging a button on the remote control besides realizing this foldable display.

Jargons and Figures of foldable OLED displays:

LG’s senior Vice President and LG’s R&D Centre’s Head In-Byung Kang buoyantly said that they are confident about developing Ultra HD flexible displays and transparent OLED screens by 2017. LG also plans to revamp production lines in upcoming years and is a strong believer that by 2015, about 12 per cent smart phones would be flexible. This figure is expected to elevate to a stunning 40 per cent by 2018. LG employs a plastic substrate for this flexible nature of the display. A film-type encapsulation technology is applied and attached with a back film panel for protection that dubs it unbreakable and remarkably limber.

A new Transparent Member of the Family:

LG also boasted transparent OLED display with a transmittance of more than 40 per cent, which can find its way in future as glasses or windows at offices and homes to cameo as interactive displays. Moreover, these could also be commissioned as automobile windshields to give esprit to car navigation or entertainment systems. Whatever these may turn out in the future, looking out of the windows would be much more than just spiritual.

Ploy vs. Deploy – A Matter of Pricing:

This would appear as another gimmick to not-so-tech-friendly kin of ours, legitimately not much of advancement when it comes to televisions screens, but could be very efficient in convenience of cartable nature of entertainment gadgets or learning aid. The decision shall obscure until lavish pricing levitates some pockets.

Picking the breadcrumbs dropped by Apple, Samsung followed its way into the woods, on a road made with baked bricks and starting working on a 64-bit CPU smartphone last year after the release of world’s first smartphone with 64-bit CPU, the iPhone 5S but much unknowingly about whether android users even need a 64-bit processor chip in their device. Much of a joyride for Samsung as Google recently announced that their latest version of the Android operating System, Android L will support a 64-bit CPU.

Samsung SM-G5308W Specifications and competitors:

Recently images of GFXBench benchmarks stats of the new Samsung mid-range smart phone pepped up with debutant 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragron 410 chipset leaked onto the web. This device is currently dubbed SM-G5308W and will sport a quad-core processor chip clocked at 1.2GHz. Flaunting a 5-inch display with a resolution of 540X960p, the device will have a 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The device will try to woo part-time snappers with its 8MP rear camera and a 2MP selfie drudge. The graphics will be skyrocketed with the Adreno 360 graphics processor chip. Android 4.4 will run out of the box while an in-lodge 64-bit architecture chip will shall be eligible for the next big android update set to roll out by the fall this year.

The rumoured Samsung Galaxy F will Samsung’s flagship device to be sporting a 64-bit processor while SM-G5308W only finds its competition among mid-range devices like HTC One Mini 2 and the Sony Xperia Z1 compact and upcoming Z3 compact, relying on the GFXBench data. No talks have adored the battery on the new Samsung smartphone but it should be expected to be at least 1800 mAh.

The Dearth for 64-bit:

But the question that perplexes everyone, even the electronic giant itself, is do we really need a 64-bit CPU? The answer is plausibly NO! Although the Vice President of marketing Kyushik Hong said that they wish to be at the front foot and be ready in advance as 64-bit is presumably the next big thing in smartphones market and their chips would be ready when the Android environment takes a drift to the newer ecosystem. Unquestionably, it is an example of chicken race where one brand has it and others are just coping along.

Why do we Adore 64-bit?

So what makes a 64-bit enviable? 32-bit chips can support up to a maximum memory of 4GB and 64-bit up to 16 Exabytes or theoretically 16 billion Gigabytes, boom! With the Galaxy Note sporting a 3GB RAM already, Android devices are set to break this barrierwithin an year although Apple devices housing the 64-bit A7 chip only have 1GB RAM currently and are likely to catch up as well in two-three years. But the real question assimilates our need of RAM and not how much we can add to a device. With rowing dependency on smartphones for all the chores and extensive multi-tasking the tech-ravenous clique may soon need an upgrade.

We can barely speak of its effectiveness until it hits the markets, until then let’s remunerate our greed for higher speed with the benchmarks only.

“Honey I shrunk the kids, but that’s not a problem, Now.” Here to beat even Wayne Szalinski’s folly is the elixir gadget launched by LG earlier this week. LG’s KizON is a wrist wearable gear designed especially for kids, and to abate parents’ concern over children’s dearth for fairy-tail adventures.

Sneak Peak at the features

The LG KizON houses a GPS tracker for mommies and daddies to constantly monitor their kids’ location which also uses Wi-Fi as an aide in the tracking process. The KizON features “One Step Direct Call” button which can be used by tots to dial or receive calls from defined set of numbers. Even in case of emergency or non-responsiveness from the child, the call shall be accepted on its own after a period of 10 seconds so that parents could hear the surrounding via the in-built microphone.

The polythiourethane wrist-bound whatnot is resistible to water splashes and stains, a momentous part of daily childsplay and comes in a variety of bright shades like baby pink and sky blue and moss green, and toddler-friendly accessories like Hello Kitty covers and other animated characters to keep kids avidly involved despite its big size. KizON was initially designed keeping in mind pre-school and primary school children but the spectrum of amuse also shed umbrella shade for the elderly, especially ones suffering from serious diseases associated with dementia.

The KizON catalogues as another device in the list of those needed to be charged every night with a claimed battery life of 36 hours, although it also intimates the parents when battery falls below 25 per cent charge. It can operate on both 2g and 3g networks, expanding its parachute of ease of connectivity and has a 64MB RAM. Don’t worry, kids won’t be able to glue to it as they do your iPads in this dystopian-headed lifestyle and it would give them chance to play freely and not just jolt buttons besides easing out parents’ tension for their child’s safety.

Mixed emotions?

Despite of great use, the views about LG KizON is distinctively opinioned. While many people would enjoy the ability to track their kids and keep an eye on the activity, somemay also be cynical about dependency on gadgets and parental snobbery for auditing their kids like criminals fresh out of jail. Despite known critical disapproval, LG Mobile and Communications CEO Jong-seok Park showed hope in the approach and overwhelmingly presented the benefits of wearable gears which defy the dependency on big devices and chances of being lost or stolen while offering seamless and quick connectivity.

LG was probably the big early bird in this market but certainly not the first with the concept. Earlier this year a British company called KMS developed a similar wearable for kids while previous year saw a collaboration AT&T and Filip for a wrist wearable for children which also came with a screen.

KizONgoes on sale in South Korea in second week of July and is expected to shelf in European and American markets by fall of this year. Despite its hitech-dependent nature, the device is a great leap in favour of children security and safety.

Xiaomi’s lurking brilliance to be unleashed:

Xiaomi is a name unheard to almost everyone outside China but the company treasures its prominence in the home market as China’s Apple and has been giving Apple a bitter combat by outnumbering its sales in the country. Xiaomi is all primed up to give Indian smartphone leaders a stifle by locking its gun with knives. Xiaomi is ready to release Mi-3 in India, the current heir to Xiaomi’s legacy of ultra-marvelous phones with ultra-competitive pricing.

The Chinese company had recently been on west world radar systems when it filched Android designer and Vice President for product management Hugo Barra to join them after the Android I/O Conference this year. The Mi-3 was launched in China last year and had dazed everyone with its jaw-dropping price and performance accord. Xiaomi is willing to transmit the same enthusiasm and awe in India by launching this beast at a price of only Rs. 14,999.

Amazing specs with bewitching looks and sensible pricing:

Just after Motorola’s Moto G startled Indian users and gained much appreciation, Xiaomi will launch their phone just a thousand rupees over Moto G’s 16GB version and the specifications are set to bewilder Indians yet again. The behemoth has a 5-inch screen with full HD display and Corning Gorilla Glass aside a stunning pixel density of 441ppi. The heartbeat is powered by Qualcomm 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor along with 2GB or RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Running on the latest Android KitKat, Mi-3 has a customized UI dubbed the MIUI V5.

Glittering camera, set to woo snappers:

The bag of astonishing miracles unpacks a 13MP camera with Sony Exmor sensor capable of shooting 1080p videos. Mi-3 has Sony’s best phone camera sensor and is loaded with a flock of intelligent features like the one that automatically determines your age and sex to enrich picture quality. The stunners don’t end at this. Mi-3 has a colossal battery of 3050 mAh. The handset doesn’t come with 4G but that is docile in Indian context as even 3G is suffering to entomb its roots firmly here. Components that the Mi-3 houses are found in dignitaries like Galaxy Note 3, Nexus 5, Xperia Z1 and LG G2 to enumerate some.

Made In China, still a dilemma:

People may find body a little inspire by the Nokia 920 with wide speaker grille at the bottom and thick round edges. Although the build quality may disappoint some but at this price, it doesn’t have to bear the complete iPhone 5S armour as far as its zippiness can pacify disappointments in its vital stats. Another setback would be unavailability of MicroSD card slot, as users may find internal memory of just 12GB bestowed upon them a little cramped.

Coming from biggest Chinese manufacturer, reasons to cheer:

Going by the specifications Xiaomi offers, it is, at least on paper, the undisputed sultan of the mid-range market with typically no competition. In the age of China conquering manufacturing outsourcing arena, this is at least a home-made device from world’s fastest growing mobile phone company. A reason worth joy certainly.

Android app to track and board GPS-armed auto-rickshaws:

Recently when Delhi’s Autowalahs secured price hike in auto-rickshaw fares, new meters steeled with GPS flared the market and many people questioned the lunacy of Delhi Transport was limited to encumbering the pockets of auto riders, but this rather turned out to be a canny decision. Now a new Android app Pooch-O will allow Delhiites to track and book auto-rickshaws near them.

Sanctioned and dovetailed by Delhi Integrated Multi-Model Transport System (DIMTS) and launched by the Lt-Governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung, this app might put an end to clamoured rejection on hearing ”chaloge bhaiya” by Delhi’s auto-rickshaws drivers. This app uses smartphone’s GPS to locate nearest auto-rickshaws and even call the ones whose numbers are registered on DIMTS. The app is currently in its beta stage and is available for download from the Google Play Store. Currently only the android version of the app is available.

A firm step towards women safety in Delhi:

Jung was elated about the development of the app and reported that this app would be an effective barrage in safety for women in Delhi especially at night. Commuters can share their travel details on various social networking portals after boarding the auto-rickshaw so that family and friends are well aware of their location. Thereare various security elements associated with the app as well said Jung. However it would be a considerable advancement if next update allows authorized people on your social circle to track the auto that you have boarded in scenarios of chaos or suspicion.

App Calculates estimated fare and time:

This app can also be used to calculate estimated rate and to verify whether the auto is imminent after being called on phone. Auto-rickshaws are also believed to cherish this prosperity as it would help them find passengers easily. The app is being brewed for iPhone users and believed to loom very soon, announced S N Sahai, Managing Director (DIMTS) at the Press release of Pooch-O.

Heavy penalties for denying commuters:

Sahai also reported that currently 24,000 auto-rickshaws in Delhi brace GPS and many more are hoped to share the same canopy soon to perk many users. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Shukla was also on board when the app was launched and promised that auto-rickshaw drivers who refuse to take Pooch-O users will be heftily penalized. Traffic Police has also been ordered to link this app with their website so that if auto drivers rebuff passengers without substantial reasons, stern actions would be taken against them.

Cluster Buses also under the umbrella:

Pooch-O users can also track the locations of orange Cluster buses plying in Delhi-NCR region. There are currently 1,100 buses in Delhi fitted with GPS. Users can locate their buses and determine arrival time based on their location. The app is also expected to incorporate traffic information and warn users and auto-rickshaw drivers against slow moving traffic.

Excellent hypothetically, what really?

Although the concept sounds good abstractly, the practicality of the approach is yet to be tested. It is worth examining that would those auto-rickshaw drivers who deny commuters even after being dared to be reported, be plaint or haughty towards the approach.

Israel-Gaza Conflict: Is the escalation about to reach its end?

It has been fifteen dark days since the break out of the news of the kidnapping and subsequent murders of three Israeli youths in the West Bank led to steep escalation in tension in the region comprising Israel and Gaza. This led to the incarceration of around 300 Palestinian Hamas members by Israeli authority. Hamas, the radical Palestinian Sunni Islamic group, that holds all the political and military buttons in Gaza strip, soon launched a rocket armed assault aimed at the deep regions in Israel.

For an enduring period, Israel has been bombing the hot-spots of Hamas’ militant activities and collaring many of its militants in Gaza, alongside discussing the political terms of peace with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). For those who are unaware about the status Of PLO, it was created in 1964 aiming to create an independent state of Palestine and though the fact isironic that it got rid of the status of a terrorist fit just in 1991, two years before renouncing the practice of violence and terrorism to attain its means,after taking reasonable pressure from the UN Security Council. But this renouncement went into nullity as in the Palestinian parliamentary elections of 2006;Hamas defeated Fatah Party that enjoyed the popular support of PLO, with a huge margin bringing the tension in the region back on the table. Hence, to prove its point and show displeasure, Israel imposed a number of sanctions against the new government, primarily economic. Egypt too, from the southern side, sidelined the area to survive on its own.

If the majority of the sources are to be believed then the prime motive of Israel right now is to completely suppress the Hamas rocket-bound aggression by razing the military operatives based in the West Bank. It is evident that for at least sometime the Israeli authority’s attempts to hide the news of the deaths of the teenagers from the locals has enflamed the enmity in the local Jews for the Arabs to another level. The result was, not surprisingly, a sharp rise in the “jihadist” activities against Israel to contain this unofficial aggression. Hamas has its own reasons. One among which is the death of one of their innocent operative who was not directly involved with the rocket fire on Israel. The major count of the people killed in the Israeli air raids in Gaza is still inaccurate. Majority of these deaths include the killings of civilians includes many women and children as well. Many people have left their home and property in Gaza to seek refuge from the persistent Israeli air-raids. Meanwhile, there can also be a possible ground attack from the Israeli front, curbing the ceasefire hopes of the rest of the world even more. UN, like previous such times, is trying to serve the “humanitarian needs” that have arose from the conflict. The scale of the conflict is even more than the one that took place in 2012.

The Current Scenario

According to Israel, there are at present 118 concealed rocket launching pads present in Gaza, which they have been aiming at to destroy. By now, there have been almost 170 Palestinian deaths in just 5 days. Saying that the previously done isolation of Gaza by Israel and Egypt has proved to be constructive measure for the region, would be amateurish. The irony is that spite of coercing so many Palestinian out of their homeland and even attacking the refugee camps, many Israeli Jews are running for cover under the pretext of morality. It wouldn’t be foolish to say that Israel holds a major hand in starting this confrontation as it didn’t prove first that Hamas was actually responsible for the death of those teenagers and directly made those arrests and killed many Hamas activists. Also we cannot ignore the first revenge death of the Palestinian teenager. The lives of the Israelis are also in major distress, resulting from constant rocket-fire siren wails and a few rockets fired from the Hamas side which the anti-missile system, the Iron Dome, having 87% accuracy, was not able to neutralize.

The Divided Stand

In recent developments, Egypt has tried its best to broker a politically well framed ceasefire plan for the both the parties to agree on and bring peace. After realizing that the Hamas’ offense has been considerably brought down, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accepted the Egyptian plan of ceasefire. But the hopes of peace faded away immediately the very next day as Hamas rejected the proposal, blaming it to be another political conspiracy for the region to fall into from the diplomatically closer nations. Hamas is still demanding the release of the prisoners captured in Israel who, if sources are to be believed, are being tortured endlessly.

On the seventh day (14 July 2014) of the Operation Protective Edge, commissioned by Israel, the rocket firing on a humongous scale continued, with Gaza hospitals almost completely running out of the supplies in their medical inventory. Clearly, Gaza is on the losing end in this conflict as it does not possess any anti-missile system, a result of which the damage to the indigenous infrastructure and loss of lives has been “immense”. Just 20 schools operated by UN in Gaza have to accommodate almost 17,000 refugees as these locations are not being fired on by Israel.

The other superpower nations in the world too seem to stand divided on the bigger blame posing game that is being played between the two sides. With countries like the US and the UK supporting the Israeli operation on one hand, other nations including Scotland and the UAE have condemned it. But help is still coming down to Gaza in different forms from many Muslim nations which support and sympathize with its cause. Egypt has also ease the blockage of its border with Gaza to give shelter to the refugees based in the coastal parts of the region.

The light at the end of the tunnel seems to look pretty bleak from looking at the current state of affairs in the region as the motivation of saving thousands of lives from destructions is right now being easily overpowered with religious passion and the fear to lose. Still, the question which fails to leave the equation is that when would it be enough and if, in future, it will be then, will the irreversible and irreparable destruction caused by this conflict be justifiable on any ground? I think this quote of the biggest advocate of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi, will be able to shed some light on the subconscious of the people suffering in Israel and Gaza, “It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence”.

Sony grasped in selfie-craze:

Last year the morpheme “selfie” found its way into the Oxford Dictionary, so why should smartphone manufacturers wane behind in respecting its newly attained dignity. Following this, Sony has launched a phone with a camera dedicated for Selfies, which vouches that this fad of crazy people holding up cameras onto their faces is here to stay longer. Flaunting a powerful PROSelfie Cam and bundle of Selfie friendly apps along with a flash for the front camera might turn out to be a grace for Selfie lovers.

No frailty in speed and performance:

The Xperia C3 is crammed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset along with a Cortex-A7 processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM and Adreno 305 GPU and runs on Android KitKat. The 5.5-inch screen smartphone with 720p resolution and BRAVIA 2 Display Engine also gloats an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 8GB internal storage. Apart from the main charm, the Xperia C3 is super dieted at 7.6mm. The C3 is 4G-ready and supports LTE Cat4. A dual SIM version is soon to arrive as well which has been baptized Xperia C3 Dual, which would support not only dual standby but also dual calls.

The glorious Selfie-friendly front camera with “soft” flash:

Now the gallant feature that has made Xperia C3 the talk of almost every tech expert is its front-facing 5MP camera dubbed the ProSelfie Cam which comes allied with a “soft” LED flash leaving miles behind other flagship devices like the HTC One (M8) or Huawei Ascent P7 which brag supreme front-facing cameras but lack flash. Sony’s athletic 80-degrees view field is also capable of using Superior Auto Mode which automatically adjusts parameters depending upon Ambient lighting conditions to elate selfie enthusiasts. And making selfies further easy is the two-tap snapper which clicks selfies when the back is patted twice or by activating the smile shutter. Duckface heaven!

Broaching the rise of selfies to 17,000% since 2012, Sony has loaded the smartphone with dozen of selfie dedicated apps. AR Effects append themes that allow selfie fanatics to brace their pictures with various fun animations ad graphics-like horror eyes, cowboy hats etc. both in picture and video modes. Portrait Retouch apps allow beautification of pictures by choosing among 10 different beauty styles apart from 6 magic beam options for various eye reflections and 10 DECO frames. Sweep panorama is another notable spotlight star.

Battery and other salient features:

The battery on the C3 is expected to last the entire day after extensive usage and Sony’s Battery Stamina Mode 3.0 automatically detects when the phone is not being used and turns off features which are not vital. The smartphone also headlines an easy-toggle keyboard for single hand input in inclusion with its smart home screen.

Expectation and Sony’s seriousness with the Selfie phenomenon:

The C3 will be launched in white, black and mint colours in August as China is ascribed to be the first launch market. The device will follow various routes along the globe but destinations are uncertain and so is the pricing. Although Sony has been the market leader for camera devotees but being dedicated to single clique sounds foolish. However, Sony seems to be very serious about the move and it would be well wished to see better front cameras on other devices too in future.

Is the host country now ready to liberate himself from the hangover of FIFA 2014?

If someone is to be given the imposing task of summing up the key highlights of the FIFA 2014, hosted by Brazil, then it would be an arduous exercise for him or her to give it in an epigrammatic manner. From the 7-1 symbolic manslaughter of the Brazilian football team in the hands of their German opponents in the semi-finals to the early exits of the predicted to be probable trophy-lifters viz. England, Spain, Italy & Portugal; from the accession of a new world-class striker in the form of a Colombian, James Rodriguez, to the loss of the closest chance to etch his name in the football history as a “great”, by Lionel Messi; inexorably this world cup did have its own few surprises to throw at us. It has been a world cup of riots as well as that of massively scaled celebrations.FIFA 2014 has also been filled with scandalous controversies (Go Suarez!) as well as that of record breaking achievements of players. Though being also called a world cup of the “underdogs”, Germany prevailed and won the golden trophy this time.

Shifting back the focus of this analysis to the impact that this event created on its host nation from start to its subtle end, let us first examine the prominent antagonistic response of the locals towards the infrastructure growth and other developments for the event that the Brazilian government undertook. The million dollar funds that the government employed in organizing the event caused a mass uproar among the citizens, as these funds could have instead been used in other national core sectors which have been in a poor state for a long period. But as the Brazilian team started winning its matches and the people appreciated the revenue from tourism that the world cup generated, the commotion fell to a much lower level and almost disappeared during the subsequent stages of the tournamentand patriotic joy instilled the Brazilians.

Everything, including the mood of the nation, was in the right place for Brazil until when Neymar, their most important player, experienced an ominous vertebrae injury leading to his rule out for the remaining matches. Also their skipper, Thiago Silva, got himself suspended for the next game. Although in that match Brazil overcame the young and enthusiastic Colombian side with a score of 2-1, yet the worse and the worst was still to come. In the next match against Germany, Brazil experienced the biggest world cup defeat of all times (7-1), embarrassingly on their own soil. During the first half of the game,the world saw Germany netting 4 goals in a really short span of just 4 minutes. Hell broke loose for the Brazilian fans, as they witnessed this inapprehensible circus. This game even became the most followed football event in the history of twitter. Still the team just made it worse for the fans as they lost to Netherlands in the fight for the third place and hence ended forth in the tournament.

Letting bygones be bygones, we can say that in spite of the pictures of half finished stadiums, violent riots and 8 construction related deaths of its workers, Brazil was satisfactorily able to pull this world cup off and did win as an organizer, proving the previous negative apprehensions of many of its critics wrong in the process. Many a times the government had to violate many important civil ethics to serve the purpose of maintaining law and order to smoothly run the world cup. Even stun grenades and rubber bullets were used in the process of suppressing the protests. The day of the final also witnesses suck section from the authorities including the use of pepper spray to repulse the protesters.Still it had to face minor events of on-pitch as well as off-pitch humiliation. Keeping in mind the sweet-bitter memories of this world cup, what Brazil needs now is some deep soul searching. Many local football legends believe that to regain its previous playing form, Brazil needs to stop exporting its football talent to other nations.

The prime blame taker of this lack-lustre performance of the team has been none other than the national coach, Luis “Feelipão” Scolari, who didn’t make any prominent changes in the playing strategy of the team, since Brazil won the Confederations Cup in 2013. The 65 year old manager, who won the 2002 world cup with Brazil, submitted his resignation from the post to the respective authority as he was unable justify the reason for the continuous struggle and loss of two back to back games by Brazil, in their own backyard since 1940. His successor hasn’t yet been announced by the Brazilian Football Federation.

Despite the fact that Brazilians failed to conquer the title of world champions (if they did then it would have been their sixth final victory), the Brazilian President declared the hosting of this giant-scaled event to be a “victory” for Brazil and even took the liberty to state that the world had witnessed the “Cup of the Cups” and backed the national football team to come back to its successful indigenous playing ways. The cup final witnessed a record number of flights (572,000) in Brazil, proving the quality and order followed during the services. But the actual hint which we can extract from this statement of the President is that Brazil is ready to take the Rio Olympics 2016 head on and write a bigger and a better success story for the world. This is what the whole world too actually expects from Brazil to do in 2016. Also the bar for the next FIFA WC2018 in Russia is already set very high, as Putin was handed over this duty by his Brazilian counterpart.

But, now as the World Cup is over and so is its fever on the people of Brazil, their attention will get back to the subject of the national policy of allocation of the tax-payer’s money sanctioned for this event. The Brazilian president still owes some more answers to her people, though it is hard to say if they too will turn out to be “victorious” for her this time.

What should the court do if they come across a case where a group of boys below the age of 18 rape a girl and the evidence provided is beyond a reason of doubt? Should they be given strict sentencing or as in most cases, since the act was committed by a juvenile, let them off the hook once they turn 18? Just today in Times of India it was reported a girl just over 4 years old was sexually abused allegedly by senior students inside the school premises in Kozhikode Kerala. What would have prompted to commit this dastardly crime is beyond the comprehension of most civilized people. But the most disappointing and sad thing I could understand was the school authorities offering to hush up this whole incident by paying off the parents to protect their reputation. But that is beside the point and the question remains what motivated these boys to commit such heinous crime against an innocent and defenseless little girl. As a mother to two young daughters this news is no less than a recurring nightmare for me or any parent.

In the last few years, we have witnessed a very high number of cases where juvenile crime has risen. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveal that from 2002 to 2012, there has been a 143 per cent increase in the number of rapes by juveniles and murders committed by minors went up by 87 per cent. This sudden surge in such cases is baffling to most of us.

Is it because the laws are not very strict and the underage delinquents know if they commit any crime spanning rape, murder to violent burglary, they will not spend too much time in prison. Is the loophole being exploited? Or our society has denigrated to a level previously unknown? Whatever the reason may be, this problem of teenage boys committing some of the most heinous crimes has reached epic proportion. But then the question is, should there be tougher laws to prosecute minors? Spend money on rehabilitation program? So many ideas and suggestion, but no solution in sight.

If a politician tries to suggest that we must pass a law for tougher punishment for juveniles who commit serious crime like rape, murder and burglary, then the liberals and the Non-Government Organizations (NGO) will call this a draconian step. On the other hand, how do we go about rehabilitating them? Most of the crimes committed are in the cities and many of them come from impoverished and tough neighborhood, where from a very early age one has to fend for themselves and have to be street smart. Places like these make a person grow up very fast but sadly the emotional growth takes a back seat and the qualities like empathy and compassion which one hopes to install in one’schildren never takes root. Plus most of the juvenile detention facilities do not rehabilitate but end up desensitizing them and making them more violent.

This does not mean all the crimes committed by juveniles are always from bad neighborhoods; many a times the boys come from a well off family. Rape does not always mean forcing a girl for sex, what happens when a boy makes an MMS clip of having consensual sex with his girlfriend and post it on the internet. Boys stealing for pocket money to maintain a colorful lifestyle. To add to this problem the lack of sex education is also not helping the cause with many politicians apposing because of their backward thinking.

This problem has reached a viral crescendo and the laws to deal with these problems are just not right and need to be changed. If money and time should be spent in rehabilitation then, at times, tougher sentences will also have to be carried out. I am not suggesting trying a minor as an adult like they do in the United States and put them on death row. But to simply release a person from prison when they turn 18 is just not the answer because at times it feels that when an underage person commits a serious crime, he is already under the impression that he would not face serious charges and will be out and about when he turns 18. If that will be the attitude, then it is a clear violation and misuse of the law.

Our society is fast changing and the needs are also growing along with it. Small children are not hesitating to steal a woman’s purse, chain snatching or steal someone’s mobile phone for a quick buck and in the process end up seriously hurting someone or worse kill them. This is a problem which has reached a level where we might have to either find sensible laws to help solve this problem or not in a distant future we may have to create draconian laws which will only exacerbate this illness further.

In the year 2014 we are going to witness the first Indian Super League (ISL) for the game of football. But will it turn out be as successful as the Indian Premier League (IPL) remained to be seen? Football is still a very popular sport in India, but somehow it never really has managed to capture the public’s love which cricket has. Maybe football needs a Tendulker who really changed the way we watched the game and also satellite television helped cricket a lot. This year, though during the football world cup many matches were played during the middle of the night, but still many of us stayed up late to watch important clashes. Going to office and getting any work done was an entirely different issue, but many Indians did watch the games and that tells us ‘football is alive in India’.

Promotion of the game

The United States of America (USA) hosted the world cup football, this blessed event back in 1994 and football or soccer as it is popularly known in the US was not even one of their favorite sports. Baseball, Basketball and American Football have always dominated American interest and billions of dollars are spent each year. But someone realized that to stay away from football, the most loved and popular sport in the world would not be prudent. Since then soccer in the US has been on the up and up. America is home to a very large Hispanic population and though other sports are popular with them, the game of soccer probably got promoted to the current breed of young Americans by their parents who may have played but certainly would have watched football when they were young.

Now the US team as managed to qualify to world cup finals every time. The question is how? Because china hosted world cup football and automatically received a slot as host nation, but since then have not managed to qualify for the world cup finals. In the US the infrastructure is so good that they have managed to generate some good players of international standard like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey who in the 2014 world cup showcased his talents a top flight football player. Can the ISL help India develop into a top Asian team? If that will be the case, then all the support must be given to promote this sport. We must not hesitate to build world class faculties like we have for cricket because football has a much larger audience than cricket can ever hope for and since it is a seasonal sport unlike cricket which is played 365 days a year, it can be promoted much more efficiently.

Past and future goals

There was a time when India was a very good football side, but that was in the 1950s and 1960s which is also called the golden era of Indian football. But sadly throughout the following decades this great sport has declined due to poor facilities and infrastructure. This is what happens when sports are governed by bureaucracy and players are not given the kind of support which they deserve. If football develops into a popular sport as cricket which is possible with proper marketing and brand strategy, it could turn out be very lucrative for many sectors in India from Media to sports goods and merchandise, from infrastructure to tourism. But first we must become the best team in South East Asia and then slowly we could be in a position to try to qualify for the world cup.

The road to world cup finals which the dream of many Indians is far away but the ISL may be the remedy which we are looking for and with the likes of Former cricket captains Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly buying teams, definitely they will be able to attract large crowd. Also the sponsors must also invite famous football players of past and present. Also if we have a world class stadium which meets FIFA and international standards, we can host matches of Champion league and may be a friendly match between a two major football playing nations.

Hopes and dreams

Football is a game where the operating cost for an individual is much cheaper than cricket and this could be taken as an advantage, plus it is a very fast sport with results within two hours or more. Football academies need to be set up all across the country to train young and aspiring athletes to become football players which can also be used as an outreach program for the socially underprivileged, because you never know where you may end up discovering some raw young talent.

These factors will help attract more audience and the game will grow more in India. IPL has given rise to some very young exciting cricketers in just few years of its inception then it is quite possible that one day we could release our dream of watching Indian football players, playing for top club like Manchester united, Liverpool and Arsenal in English Premier League or any other top football clubs in other leagues in Europe. It is time, football in India got the attention and recognition it truly deserves and who knows somewhere out there, in the vast expanse of our country, there is a player with the caliber of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, just waiting for an opportunity.

Since time humans have practiced bigotry one form or the other, be that someone’s race, ethnicity, color of skin, caste system of India and much more. But as society has progressed, people all over the world have grown more sensitive and tolerant towards each other but few lingering practices of bigotry still exist and on top of the list stand the most politically convenient and racially inclusive form of discrimination, “Homophobia”. Why should someone be afraid of people who are gay or lesbian? Are they here to cause harm and damage to property? But wait, we as humans have more tolerance towards those who cause us physical and financial harm then we have for gays. The only reason is their sexual orientation. The point is, what one does in the privacy of one’s bedroom is nobody’s business. But all over the world and specifically in Africa outrageous laws have been enacted by the governments to punish gays, Lesbians and other transgender i.e. LGBT.

Uncalled for

In countries like Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya draconian laws have been enacted to curb homosexuality which is considered against society and the sad part is all this is influenced due to colonialism and influence of religion and all the culture and traditions of the past were forgotten. However in the west the very countries which ruled many of these African countries and promoted their form of social virtues are now bastion of liberal society where homophobia is not tolerated one bit. Laws are in place to ensure that gays, lesbians and transgender persons not to be discriminated. But somehow this “juice of revulsion” towards homosexuals has been so deeply “marinated” into the bones of African due to colonialism and there is no sight of ending one of the last vestiges of bigotry.

Many in Africa or as the matter of fact in other places besides the African Continent, still believe, there is a strong connection between homosexuality and AIDS, which is an absolute fabrication of the truth but with constant bombardment by western missionaries and the constant torrent of funds pouring in to promote social virtue like “abstinence” in Africa is an unstoppable force which only solidifies this silly idea. It is not very helpful when African leaders like President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria make irresponsible and insensitive statements about Homosexuality for cheap political gains and instead focus on solving problems like bad economy, lack of education among women and terrorism plaguing a country like Nigera with Boko Haram getting out of control. the leaders of African countries especially Nigera should focus more of their time and energies solving these problem which are much more dangerous.

Other problems

Activists are threatened, science is ignored and homosexuality is considered a decease spread by the west and their decadent lifestyle. Right now AIDS is killing more people in Africa than the Ebola Virus and instead of taking steps to prevent it by education and asking people to use condom, the issue is diverted towards gays and the proverbial finger of judgment is pointed towards homosexuals and they are blamed for all the problem people face and so many innocent people have paid with their lives. Just over a decade ago Africa was witnessing some of the worst form of ethnic problems and who can forget the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 but now everyone is coming together to form laws against homosexuality. I was watching the news one day and I saw anti gay protest in Uganda and one particular placard caught my eye it read “Obama We Want Trade Not Homosexuality” and the people were grateful of the Ugandan Parliament.

Africa is fast losing its natural resources and wild life and illiteracy among Africans is still very high. Thousands die each year due to starvation and malnourishment among African children is one of the highest in the world. With all these problems, how can centering action against a harmless minority will give any solution to all the problems faced. Homosexuality is not decease or a mental problem which can be cured as many religious organizations claim. It is a natural phenomenon which as modern citizens of the world we must embrace.

I once asked a gay friend of mine why the rainbow colors were chosen as the symbol of gay rights and he said that an artist in San Francisco named Gilbert Baker designed what is believed to be the first modern gay pride flag by combining eight stripes, each a different color with its own symbolism: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for the human spirit. If this is what a group of minuscule minority feel and just want to enjoy life on their terms, then who are we to judge, control and brand them as evil and call them the ills to all our problems. All they ask is for equal rights under the law.

Look Back and Move Forward

If we check history some of the greatest men have been gay from Alexander the great, Roman Emperor Hadrian, renascence legends Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Literary genius like Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde and in modern times, music legend Elton John, one of the best women comedian Ellen DeGeneres, designers Gianni Versace and Giorgio Armani. The list is endless.

Countries like Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda have a rich history and traditions and they must look back beyond their colonial past and did deep into their own culture which was full of tolerance. Some of the best answers are in the past and Africans and Asian also must embrace our Gay, Lesbian and transgender brothers and sisters. We must move towards a more congenial and open society where no one should be discriminated. If people are capable of coming together from different race, culture, ethnicity and religion to discriminate homosexuality, than we are equally capable of getting together and end this “apartheid of small minded believe” and live together as children of god under one rainbow.

These days the most difficult decision a woman has to make is what food to give her children for school and this specially applies for small children. Kids want something different everyday and also enjoy it even more if the look is different. If taste is important so is presentation. No longer children are satisfied with a monotones launch prepared by their mother. What your kids would want in there Tiffin and what you want to give them, can never be same. But we can come up with a mix which is healthy as well as tasty as per your kids liking. Let’s look at a few things you can do, which can give a complete image makeover to the daily Tiffin box you pack for your kids.

Looks Matter

You know your kids favorite cartoon character, so buy their favorite cartoon character themed lunch box. There is a huge variety available in the market. This adds a lot of fun element to the Tiffin eating experience. Get them a same theme spoon or fork and a matching tissue paper and they would just love it.

Variety

Every day of the week has to be made special. giving either bread or chapatti is not the answer. There are a lot of kid centric food shows on TV, explore them. They provide you with a lot of yummy and healthy food options that your kids would love to eat.

Choice

Instead of putting just one thing in Tiffin, give them small portion of 2 to 3 things daily. If you give them stuffed roti for Monday, also give them small portion of fruits to go with it like apples or grapes. Along with it some almonds and cashew nuts, just 2 or 3 would be enough. That ways even if they don’t like one of the options and do not finish their launch, than they have can have something else.

Timetable

Plan for the week ahead. Different days need to have completely different menu like Monday sandwich, Tuesday roti, and Wednesday pulao. Also plan one day in the week as” treat day” where you can send something like pasta or noodles but make sure it is wheat based.

Different varieties of one thing.

Roti does not mean roti and sabzi always. It can be stuffed roti of any kind, e.g. cheese stuffed. Similarly bread can be used in so many different ways. Just one point to be considered try going in for wheat bread.

Involve your kids

As we mentioned that you need to plan for the week ahead. Sit with your kids over the weekend. Ask them what all they would want to take in Tiffin. You might not agree with them on few points, similarly they might not agree with you on some points. But once the menu will be decided both the parties would have to eventually agree to it.

Here, is a simple tiffin week menu, to give you an idea about how to plan the best

Monday

Idli/dosa/uttapam

Fruits

Almonds/Nuts

Tuesday

Bread - Commom options-bread butter, bread jam or sandwich(which would be more healthy and filling) Vegatable sandwich is a good option

(The above mentioned menu is a vegetarian diet, you can change the plan as per your kids liking and your preferences)

Samsung has overpriced virtually all its products. Especially the smartphones! Whenever a device from the brand is launched with some feature special, its price hikes up so high it becomes almost impossible for the majority to go for the product. In a scenario like that, it sounds rather weird when someone tells you about a Samsung smartphone running on Android KitKat priced at Just Rs. 7,299. However, recently the Korean giant launched a budget smartphone dubbed Galaxy Core 2. Soon after taking this step into the entry-level smartphone market, Samsung is all geared up to launch the Galaxy Start Advance – another budget Kitkat smartphone.

This news comes from a Mumbai based retailer who unveiled more stuff about the smartphone apart from its price. Notably, there has been no official announcement about such a phone from the brand itself.

The Retailer Says…

The yet to be announced smartphone is to feature a 4.3 inch WVGA TFT display with a resolution of 480x800 pixels. Compared to what other brands are offering at similar price range, this screen could prove to be a setback for the brand. However, for people who love brands and have been waiting for bigger names in the smartphone industry to launch budget smartphones, this smartphone could be a hit. A lot of people would still readily compromise on specifications for a heavy branding on their phone’s face.

The phone is said to support dual SIM feature and will be powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core processor. The chipset is not specified as yet, due to obvious reasons. The processor will be mated to half a gigabyte of RAM which is rather disappointing for a phone from such a brand. At least a GB of RAM is expected. Inbuilt storage of 4GB and expandable storage of up to 32 GB is supported by the smartphone. Moreover, the Galaxy Start Advance is expected to come with a 3G support and the company’s signature TouchWiz UI will sit on top of the Android KitKat.

A 3 megapixel rear snapper with LED flash is what is known when it comes to the camera experience. There are high chances of an absent front camera, since there is no word on it yet.

The phone is said to sport a battery rated at 1800 mAh.

Other features on the Galaxy Star Advance include ChatOn, Google Talk, video recording, Samsung Apps, Google Maps and FM radio recorder.

Verdict

For now, the only good thing about the phone that can be concluded from the alleged word is that is comes from a very high end brand. Other than that, the Galaxy Star Advance sports no such feature that can make buyers switch from the likes of Moto E, Asus ZenFone 5 and Xperia E1 to Samsung Galaxy Star Advance. These phones boast better set of features in every way as compared to the Samsung’s budget smartphone. As a matter of fact, Samsung has apparently managed to overprice a budget smartphone too!

We all do it regularly and derive a lot of pleasure from it also. It’s a taboo in most religion and culture but it still does not deter us from doing it. Yes ladies and gentleman I am talking about Masturbation, the most common human experience. While growing up in India one thing is certain most people would not have received proper sex education and sex would have been presented as something bad, especially for girls because girls get pregnant. For boys, it is either you will go to hell or your penis will stop functioning. In a land which is obsessed with virginity, masturbation the safest and healthiest expression has been deemed evil.

If anyone tells you that masturbating is bad then they are wrong, in fact it is good for your health and this applies for boys and girls, men and women. Here are 5 reasons why masturbation is good for you. We have collected the information from various internet sources for example MensXP.com.

Helps you with premature ejaculation

If you have problems with premature ejaculation first go see a doctor. But do you know masturbation is also a good remedy? Just release some tension few hours before you have sex and hopefully it should help or else better see a doctor. When you do this 2 hours before you initiate your intimate moves, it helps you play till the end.

Gives You Fresh Swimmers

When a man masturbates, it also helps him develop his sperm quality i.e. sperm count and motility so before you have sex and you’re planning a baby this could certainly work for you. But eureka is achieved on first go also.

Sleep Well

Sex can be very strenuous but it also helps you relax afterwards and if you are not getting any and you also have difficulty sleeping. Masturbation is the answer to your problem. Getting a good night sleep is very important for anyone and if a little self pleasure can help you get some sound sleep, what’s the harm.

Helps you fight prostate cancer

It has been medically proven that people who have regular sex or those who masturbate quite often can have very high chances of avoiding prostate cancer. I think we will do just about anything to avoid cancer in general, but this remedy is free and in our hands.

Safe sex

We are curious about our body and yes while growing up we have been told many old wives tale about the dangers of masturbation i.e. you will go blind or it will fall off etc. It is not the case boys and girls, because it is good for you. No one in the history of mankind ever got a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or got pregnant using hands and fingers. Masturbation is the safest way to avoid unwanted pregnancy and also have a good time.

Someone once asked the Renowned Indian Sexpert Dr Mahinder Watsa that if regular masturbation could make someone’s penis shrink and his reply was “you talk a lot, does your tongue shrink?".

Do not be ashamed and if you have any burning questions (Pun Intended) please visit your doctor.

Androidhas grown into world’s most dominant mobile operating platforms having over a billion present users in its bag. As a matter of fact, for a majority of people, still, smartphones translate to Android operated phones. Google has taken another step in the world of Android legacy and has recently unveiled its next Android venture. Currently being called Android L, this grand version of Android has not been given with a dessert-themed name or an official version number yet.

Android L is expected to release later this year and it is highly anticipated that new smartphones launched at a similar timeframe will make the best out of all the new features. HTC has committed that it will bring an Android L update to all of its existing HTC One series. More companies are expected to announce their support soon.

Android L and New UI

The already much loved Android with its easy UI is to get a completely refurbished look. The new design approach, currently being called the “Material Design” is promised to be less monotonous as compared to the current UI. More colors, bolder icons and more animation will find their place in Android L. Absolute visual overhaul is what awaits the upcoming phones fortunate to feature the new Android L, since all screen-transitions as well as every little user interaction has been treated with changes, right from the little green Robot-like typeface to the Android navigation keys.

No More Overlays

Google has attempted to come up with a refined and clean UI. Shadows and scaling on the icons, simple silhouettes and consistent transitions from one application into another! One of the major reasons for such a distinguished and bold UI is being seen as an attempt to discourage third party vendors from creating custom Android themes and overlays which, to a great extent, deviate from the original vision of Google.

Another major feature associated with Android L is the fact that integrates input methods like voice, mouse and keyboard along with touch with equally distributed importance thereby elevating the smartphone-experience beyond the current scenarios.

Safe and Easy Unlocking

A rather impressive feature that is to come with the Android L is the associated device’s ability to sense whether it’s being used in a trusted environment or not. If so, the lock code will be dispensed. The feature can be turned on via presence of a specific Bluetooth device, for instance a smart-watch that’s always present on the wrist of the user or a Wi-Fi access point that you consider safe. Android L will be able to detect such signal and as soon as the surroundings are reckoned as safe, you won’t have to unlock your phone.

An integrated Samsung Knox feature, better and greater web integration, a Google Fit framework which is a direct take on Apple’s Healthkit and improved notification system on your phone! These contribute to the renewed and made-over Android L. While the fact can’t be ignored that the colorful and animated icons, heads-up notifications that can be dismissed or attended at anytime and other such features coincide majorly with Microsoft’s Windows Phone UI, the new Android L could be a hit with people who have had enough of similarly sized icons and monotonous transitions between screens and apps.